Will MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress open at Knott’s in 2026?

In 2022, we reported that a reimagined Montezooma’s Revenge coaster—renamed MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress— would debut with Knott’s new Fiesta Village in summer 2023. Knott’s promised the updated attraction would feature a new immersive storyline, new thrills, and a randomized launch sequence—but when Fiesta Village reopened in 2023, the coaster remained closed.

On Feb. 2, 2026, Six Flags noted MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress as being “new in 2026,” indicating the coaster may finally open this year.

Montezooma’s Revenge

Montezooma’s Revenge was the first flywheel-launched roller coaster in the world and the oldest shuttle loop roller coaster still in its original location. Since its debut in 1978, Montezooma’s Revenge launched millions of guests out of the station from 0 to 55 miles per hour in 4.5 seconds, up through a 76-foot, 360° loop, and then to the top of a 148-foot tower. After a moment of weightlessness, the train zooms backward down the tower, through the loop, and passes through the station up a second 112-foot tower, then down the tower into the station.

In 2022, when it was announced Knott’s iconic coaster was being updated, pieces of the original Montezooma’s Revenge were given to the National Roller Coaster Museum and Archives in Plainview, Tex.

“This is an historic addition to the museum’s permanent collection that showcases the classic Schwarzkopf shuttle loop,” said National Roller Coaster Museum Historian Richard Munch in 2022. “Knott’s Berry Farm has magnanimously provided us with two ride vehicles, the iconic sign, and the top of the ride’s loop. It is an amazing donation.”

MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress

According to Knott’s, the ride’s randomized launch sequence would make it impossible for riders to know their destiny “until it is too late to escape the clutches of Montezooma”—and the grounds leading to the temple would be littered with the remains of treasure hunters who “weren’t able to escape with their lives.”

Thankfully, Knott’s assured us that the traps leading to the gold have been cleared, so when the attraction opens, riders will be free to attempt the final challenge and reach the hidden Aztec treasure within.

After being delayed from 2023, Knott’s listed MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress’s reopening for 2025 (and we know how that turned out). Still, we can’t help but remain optimistic that 2026 is the year we’ll actually see it happen (despite its conspicuous absence from the Knott’s website).